BBC May Create Sponsorship Unit To Save Ailing Events

The BBC is thought to be considering the possibility of setting up a unit dedicated to the co-ordination and control of business sponsorship for events suffering from lack of funds.

Sponsorship of BBC output is a sticky issue, as some believe it could lead to the gradual introduction of advertising across the corporation. Current guidelines mean companies can sponsor an event as long as no contributions are made towards the costs incurred by the BBC in covering it. This means sponsorship is allowed when it comes a part of a package, such as the broadcast of an outside sporting event or the deal earlier this year for the sponsorship of the Top 40 by music website Worldpop (see BBC’s Top 40 Gets Commercial Sponsor).

At the moment sponsors are allowed just two verbal references within programming and one visual credit. Speculation in the weekend press claimed that on-air plugs and logo shots could be offered to sponsors in future, if plans under discussion go ahead. Claims were also made that some producers already ‘stretched’ the guidelines for sponsorship more than might be acceptable. A BBC spokesman said today that the article in question was “misleading”.

It is thought that events which might be targeted for sponsorship could include the Young Musician of the Year and the Cardiff Singer of the World competitions, which may not survive if funding is not found.

The director-general of the BBC, Greg Dyke, is due to deliver the annual MacTaggart lecture this Friday at the Edinburgh TV Festival. He is expected to set out the corporation’s priorities for the next seven years and confirm details of the BBC’s plans for two new digital channels (see BBC Plans Themed Future For TV Channels).

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